The message that crime doesn't pay seems not to have been adequately communicated to those unscrupulous sorts who form the chain of commerce in stolen fur garments. While it seems almost trite to cite the statistics of skyrocketing crime rates, it is nevertheless important to keep sight of the tremendous burden such crimes impose on society. The theft of a prized fur garment, even if carried out in a non-violent manner, takes a psychic toll on its victim. While the economic loss to a given victim may be offset by theft insurance, this merely spreads the loss among all of those who are forced to pay ever-increasing insurance premiums.
In recent years, the problem of theft from clothing stores has led to a bewildering array of devices and systems designed to curb such theft. One approach seeks to prevent removal from the rack except by authorized store personnel. This approach is exemplified by a system utilizing a chain passing through the garment sleeve, one end of the chain being fastened to the rack, the other end carrying an oversized hoop to prevent withdrawal from the sleeve. An alternate approach is to prevent removal of the garment from the store. This is accomplished by clamping a small radio transmitter or similar device to each garment, and providing an appropriate detector at each store exit.
Unfortunately, once the garment has left the store, the elaborate security precautions are no longer in force, and the garment is subject to theft from the new owner. This condition continues while the garment is in the owner's home, and while the garment is with the owner away from home, whether for long periods, as for example when the owner is traveling, or for short periods, as for example when the owner is attending the theater. The security systems that are presumably effective to prevent theft of garments from the stores are generally not suitable for home use, since they require specialized racks or possibly special electronic surveillance equipment. Even if the owner of an expensive fur garment sees to it that her home is equipped with a specialized rack such as used in stores, she can be relatively assured that the hotel in which she stays, or the theater cloakroom in which she would like to leave her coat will not be so equipped.
Thus, the traffic in stolen furs continues and the owners of expensive fur garments accept the payment of ever-increasing insurance premiums as being the inevitable lesser of two evils.